One To Be Trusted
by bongo-pants
Summary: Nearly a year has passed since Loki's war on Earth. The disbanded Avengers gather as the beginnings of a new threat emerge, but for Loki his encounters will change him forever.
1. Chapter 1

_Hi guys!_

_This is my first fan fic, couldn't really contain myself after seeing The Avengers._

_I would have made this a Lokane fic but as the plot developed I decided to use an OC instead. Please don't hate me too much for that._

_Everything belongs to Marvel except for my OC._

_Let me know what you think, and I'll try to update regularly, about once a week so I don't keep you in too much suspense._

_Otherwise, enjoy!_

OOO

Chapter 1

Arrival

Electricity crackled and split open the night as a whirling torrent of colour plummeted down through the layers of atmosphere, through time and space, and concentrated onto a specialised landing bay of a SHIELD base at an undisclosed location. The Bifröst dissipated quickly enough, leaving two majestic figures, each donned in their iconic ceremonial armour, standing on the metallic disk platform, raised up by third generation tech design courtesy of Tony Stark himself, that channelled off the remaining force of the Bifröst as the Asgardian travellers turned to face the welcoming committee decked out in uniformed black to their left.

"How much longer must I be forced to suffer the humility of this?" Loki asked his brother as he routinely lifted his chained hands to be unlocked. Thor regarded his brother with serious blue eyes before pulling out the key from the folds of his amour and sighed.

"For as long as they see fit."

"Was father's punishment not enough, or do you enjoy prolonging the burden of my actions, fruitless as they might have been?"

"Brother I take no enjoyment in this." Thor's voice became stern; eyes became fierce and held the emerald light that accented the pale features of his brother's face. "In my eyes you are forgiven. But your crimes are many and so you must repay the debt caused to the Midgardians. Be thankful I am here and not the escort father wished for."

Loki looked away, grimacing at the thought of the dozen soldiers his father had first ordered to accompany him on these trips to Earth. While his stomach had initially dropped, he had slyly enjoyed the fact his father thought of him as dangerous enough to require such dramatic action. Even after his decreed punishment.

The two Asgardians walked down from the platform towards Fury and Hill who had detached from the group of agents and were walking towards them. Fury's hands were clasped behind his back, hidden by his leather coat whilst Hill unblinkingly glared at Loki, arms crossed tight across her chest.

"Thor, welcome back." Fury offered a hand which Thor shook.

"Under more profitable circumstances I might condone such a greeting." Thor's voice was hollowed from tiredness of the all too obviously forced façade that accompanied pleasantries exchanged in his brother's presence. Besides, the routine was wearing thin on the God of Thunder.

"The circumstances are profitable enough for our end of the bargain. Isn't that enough?"

"It should be."

Fury's singular eye glazed over the unusually despondent god before him, wondered briefly about the cause of his mood before strategically turning to Loki.

"Lie-Smith. Ready for this?"

"As I'll ever be, I'm sure." He grinned wryly at Fury's name for him. "Been brushing up on your mythology Director. What a sweet sentiment."

Fury made an uncomfortable noise and nodded to Thor for them to follow him. "We have a large group to cater for with the Avengers Initiative. Makes sense to be more accommodating to everyone involved."

"Ah, but therein lies your mistake Director. I do not belong to your Initiative."

"No, but your brother does."

Loki absentmindedly licked his lips, preparing a snarky retort but Thor threw him a disapproving look.

"Brother," he warned, as he had done frequently of late. Loki rolled his eyes as turned to look at Maria Hill who was still glaring at him out of the corner of her eye. Loki smirked and looked ahead at the small assembly gathered for their arrival.

Amongst the armed men and women all wearing ear pieces the Asgardianss took note of Natasha Romanoff standing beside Clint Barton, both stone faced and kitted out in their respective suits. As they neared Natasha turned on the electrical charge of her 'Spider Bites' shooting Loki a dirt look and simultaneously smiling as Barton whispered something in her ear. The group parted and fell silently into procession as the Asgardians were led into the building to be briefed on the task at hand.

OOO

_After the destruction wreaked by Loki and his Chitauri army over Manhattan the previous year, as a war criminal Loki returned to Asgard under the protection of his brother, Thor, to be held accountable for his crimes and for a trial to be conducted and have his sentenced passed. Still as a member of the Avengers, despite the unit having dissembled after Loki's defeat, Thor was obliged to continue assisting Earth and Asgard relations as well as offer his aid in clearing the damage and reconstructing the fallen city. After his punishment in Asgard was fulfilled Loki offered his hand in rebuilding the city and began journeying between Asgard and Earth, accompanied and guarded by Thor, to repair the damage at Manhattan._

At least that was written in nondescript font in multiple brown files with the SHIELD insignia stamped on the front. Tony Stark scoffed as the synopsis and threw his file back down on the glass table top, leaning back in his chair as Bruce Banner and Steve Rogers looked up, eyebrows raised.

"That is utter bullshit," Tony stated, as though by way of an explanation.

"Not necessarily," Banner suggested, taking off his glasses and folding them into the pocket on the breast of his shirt. "The guy realises he made a mistake and wants to make things right. Can't blame him for that."

"Maybe, but there's still no trusting him," Rogers interjected. "He killed all those people, knowingly, and he enjoyed it. Knowing you're beaten doesn't equate to redemption. Plus, he is the God of Lies."

"Exactly," Tony said, pointing at Rogers.

"Mischief, would have been more accurate," Banner mumbled to himself.

The three Avengers sat around a large table in an even larger room, surrounded by ultra-modern computer screens and Stark Industries technology. At each of scheduled dates of the Asgardian brothers returning to Earth the conversation became something of a routine that, strangely, had yet to become exhausted. On his trips while Loki hadn't made any further enemies, he was yet to make any friends.

"This," Stark motioned his hand to the file before him, "Is a waste of time. And renewable resources. We get that he's Thor's brother and has serious daddy issues, and seriously, at this table, hell in this building, who doesn't? But it's not an excuse to bring war to an entire planet, just because they're gods and have that kind of power. Forgiveness should be a little more hard earned than offering to help the clear up operation."

Banner squeezed the bridge of his nose, eyes closed. "How many times are we gonna have this conversation?"

"Until Fury finally gets the bigger picture. Do you think the eye patch holds in all the stupid? Or is it too tight for him to process logical thoughts like, don't let the bad guy in the club."

"Thought you didn't want to be in the club in the first place?" Rogers asked, also leaning back in his chair. Stark laughed and dropped his hands into his lap.

"Well I'm here now, aren't I? Just saying, I thought this gig was meant to be more exclusive than, hey let my brother join. He's not such a bad guy once you get to know him."

Neither Rogers or Banner could resist at least a smile until the electronic doors whooshed open, wiping the grins off their faces as Fury led the rest of the team into the room. The three men already seated sat up straighter, although Stark continued to look unenthusiastic about his being in the room, as his presence in the leather chair meant for a distinct absence of a California king bed and the close proximity of one Miss Pepper Potts.

"Gentlemen," Fury said, walking round to the head of the table to stand in front of the gigantic screens poised of the wall at various angles. He gestured for the rest for the team to take seats. "Welcome."

Maria took her place by the Director's side whilst Clint, Natasha and Thor seated themselves at their places around the table. Few greetings were shared as most of their concentration was occupied on the Norse god still standing by the doors like an uncertain guest. Although a more fitting description, from majority of faces around the table, would have been unwanted.

Thor shifted in his chair, feeling the burdensome role of big brother filter through him in a way markedly similar to when he and Loki had been mere boys.

Fury turned to Loki whose sharp voice sliced knife-like across the room.

"I'm more than comfortable standing."

"Good." He addressed the table. "This is pretty much the same set up as previous tasks, clearing the remaining debris on the outskirts of the island. The civilian population is still low as the entire island was evacuated after the city got turned into a battlefield so expect minimal interaction with the public." Behind him the screens automatically shifted to images, maps and strategies of the clean-up project so far. A different kind of seriousness settled on his features, making Steve in particular feel nervous. "There has, however, been a slight development."

"Which explains why we're all here." Stark said, his head lifting. "Tell me Fury, why exactly are we here?"

"Because of this." Fury turned and heavily pixelated images filled various screens behind him. The Avengers seated at the table leaned in, Banner squinting as the realisation struck him.

"I thought all the Chitauri were killed."

"As did the rest of us. Evidently, that topic's up for debate."

"How have we not known about his?" Steve looked suddenly impatient, almost ready to stand up. "Majority of people may have been evacuated but there are still construction workers and the like in the city."

"These pictures were recovered by agents Barton and Romanoff on a routine sweep of the city after reports of seemingly random crimes."

"How random?"

"Mainly arson, property damage and quite frankly petty thefts. No one has been injured, no reliable witnesses have been on the scene of these crimes and this is all we have so far."

An uncomfortable murmur threatened to rise as Steve pointed to Loki.

"Did you know about this?"

"Would you prefer a lie or the truth?" Loki asked, enjoying the pairs of eyes that were all trained on him. "Besides, is there any point in asking the God of Lies?"

Steve, had he been a lesser man, would have blushed.

"Loki, did you know that any Chitauri remained on Earth?" Thor looked pointed at his brother, who found his gaze inescapable and the annoying exact same shade as his father's.

"No," he admitted with a casual sigh, turning to address Fury. "To my knowledge they would have left Earth to me in the spoils of the war – quite literally _left_, since your precious blue planet was of no interest to them, whatsoever."

Fury rolled his eyes and turned back to the screens as new images popped up. "From SHIELD research we've found the Chitauri have a heavily cybernetic physiology, explaining why majority died after the destruction of their mother ship." He turned to Stark. "Thank you for that."

"Hey, it's what I'm here for." In the corner Loki made a condescending noise."

Fury gave Loki a look like an exasperated parent tired of their tantrum throwing child. He resumed his speech, hands on hips "Which leaves us with two possibilities, that the ones left behind have a different genetic structure or link to the mother ship enabling their survival, or that these Chitauri were not part of the army Loki brought."

"Tell me Director, how exactly you came to that conclusion." Loki's green stare was suddenly menacing from the shadowed corner of the room. Not threatening, but alarmed.

"From the research division of SHIELD. We collected the more intact bodies from the fighting and dissected them for research. We have every right to know our enemy, inside and out."

"Is that what you would have done to me had my brother not been present? Cut me up to find what makes me tick?"

A hard silence followed, broken only when Maria turned away, hand to her ear piece.

"Sir, transport has arrived."

"Well then, we'd best get moving. Stark, you'll be with the agents exploring the city for any sign of the Chitauri. Banner, Rogers, you'll be investigating the subway systems."

"What about my brother and I?" Thor asked, unclenching his fists he hadn't realised he had tightened.

"You two will head to the clear up zone. If there's time you can help the search."

Fury's only eye scanned the faces before him, making a point of ignoring the brooding Norse god in the corner.

"Team. You're up."

OOO

_Please review!_


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the long wait, been busy with work and fighting writer's block to get this written down :S

Anyway, here's chapter 2 - hope you enjoy it.

Everything belongs to Marvel except for my OC.

Please let me know what you think, I'd love to get some reviews.

OOO

Chapter 2

Magic

The flight to New York was a tense one, but short lived. The Avengers and Loki piled into a quinjet piloted by Natasha and a second jet followed them, carrying Fury and Hill. Thor sat beside his brother, his mind cast back to memories of an eternity ago when his mother had instructed him to take care of his younger sibling. He chewed the inside of his cheek oblivious to the looks he was getting from the rest of the team. Steve, Tony and Bruce talked among themselves, with Steve and Bruce silently praying Tony would keep his mouth shut in such a confined space. Thankfully, Tony was too tired and missing Pepper too much for him to give any more input to the conversation than the occasional grunt or nod.

Loki stared ahead of him, hands together in his lap, fingers interlaced. He was aware of the looks the others threw in his direction but he had become somewhat immune to their effects. It was like a child staring at a new toy, something novel and shiny. Except instead of looks of admiration, they were looks of contempt. Loki let out a sigh that called for a pause in the conversation. He was used to people behaving oddly around him. He took to wondering if he were the cause or effect.

"How many Chitauri do you think are in the city?" Tony blurted as they circled Manhattan.

"Not many according to our scouts. Four or five maybe." Natasha said, throwing Stark a look over her shoulder.

"And you couldn't take them out?"

"That wasn't the mission." Clint said, twisting in his seat, earning a disapproving look from Natasha as she leant across the controls to hit the Stealth Mode.

"But still."

"Give us a break Stark."

"You know what I'm talking about. Essentially, Fury's been sending you into a warzone. And battles aren't won with bows and arrows."

"They used to be until trigger happy morons who you proudly call your clientele came along."

"Maybe. Doesn't your girlfriend have a gun?" Tony grinned.

"Tasha has more ways of fighting than with bullets."

"And I'm not his girlfriend," Natasha said as they abruptly landed.

"Will you guys ever stop bickering?" Steve asked, straightening up as he unbuckled himself from his seat.

"Maybe," Tony mused, picking up his briefcase. Loki eyed it in subtle admiration. As much as he disliked Stark he had to admit he was the most ingenious mortal he had met so far.

Fury stood waiting for them as the team piled out. His single eye regarded all of them before he set his hands at his hips.

"Do you all remember your instructions? I hate repeating myself."

"Sure do," Tony said. "I'm with the bug and the bird up top and those two pulled the short straw and won a private tour of the sewers."

"And the subway system. Don't forget about that." Bruce chimed, a humourless look on his face.

"Thor, Loki, Maria will take you to the scheduled site for the clean-up. We'll let you know if anything changes."

Maria appeared from behind Fury and nodded in a direction to the left. "This way."

The Norse gods followed leaving the six of them standing in a semi-circle.

"Am I the only one to get a bad feeling about this?" Bruce asked, scratching his arm.

"No," Fury answered, assessing the unease in the faces before him. "But the sooner we get information on the whereabouts of the Chitauri and why they're here, the sooner that feeling will change."

"Director, you don't think this will lead to another war, do you?" Steve asked, his hood in his hands.

"I hope not Cap."

OOO

Thor walked behind Loki as Maria guided them to a clean-up site. He was still amazed whenever he returned to Earth to be confronted once more with the destruction wrought by his brother. The second son. He had never before realised how much Loki had been affected by events in their youth. Thor had assumed the place of the eldest son and Loki, for whatever reason, had interpreted that as the place of the favoured son. The best son. The example to look up to and match. Thor supposed there were ways things could have been played out differently. If only he had known. If only he had been a better brother and looked at his brother to see what was there. The slights and wounds that were imagined or real. Now there was only rubble and dust to confirm he had failed Loki as a brother. As a friend.

Hill picked up the pace as she strode over to a cluster of black suited agents standing around SHIELD vehicles with megaphones and an assortment of other electronic equipment. Her eyes spied a specific individual and she let out a smug little smile that could have rivalled one of Loki's had he kept up. The individual caught sight of them and headed in their direction.

"Loki," Maria smiled and gestured towards the approaching figure. "Meet your new babysitter."

Loki's eyes narrowed whilst Thor's face broke open in a grin.

"Son of Coul."

"Didn't I kill you once?"

"Sorry guy. Better men have tried." Phil smiled, hands in his jacket pockets.

Loki scowled but his expression seamlessly turned into a grin. "That sounds like a challenge."

"And that sounds like a threat. This is my first day back at work. Aren't you going to apologise? I thought you were supposed to be repentant."

"A man can be many things, can he not? For example you are supposed to be dead and yet here you are alive."

"And here you are, playing the good guy and still so full of hate."

"We are all fuelled by different ambitions. I cannot expect your tiny mortal mind to comprehend the complexities understood by the founders of this universe."

"Daddy issues aren't all that difficult to figure out. I've seen Jerry Springer."

Loki cocked in head in vague amusement before walking away from Coulson and towards the mammoth task that awaited him.

"Whilst I'm glad to see you recovered I must admit it is a surprise to see you. I thought Loki killed you the day of his war." Thor said, clamping a hand firmly on Phil's shoulder, that grin still spread across his face.

"He gave it his best shot. Fury agreed the deception was, using your brother's words, the necessary fuel for the _ambition_ of the Avengers Initiative. After all, it wasn't going to work if you didn't have something to avenge."

"I must confess I've underestimated the skills of Midgardian healers. Almost seems to rival that of the Healers in Asgard."

Phil smiled. "I'm not sure I'd like to be the guinea pig to test that theory."

Thor smiled, if slightly baffled by what in all the Nine Realms a guinea pig was. He was too happy to see an old friend to truly care. They talked for a while longer until Maria re-joined them; informing Thor he was to help Steve and Bruce in the subways.

Thor turned, watching as his brother set to work clearing the rumble with magic, throwing invisible threads between the particles of cement and metal, slowly disintegrating the materials from the smallest, atomic level. Beads of sweat began to glisten along Loki's dark hairline from the effort but he remained stony faced. His brother was a good liar, a good actor, and if Thor had not known him well enough, he would have remained as ignorant as the mortals to the exertion of Loki's offered aid. He strode over to Loki, arriving in time to hear him catch his breath.

"Fury has commissioned me to help Banner and Rogers in the underground of the city. Can I trust you to behave?"

Loki gave him a thin grin. "Don't you normally trust me brother?"

Thor shook his head dismissively and threw the agents accompanying them a semi apologetic look. "Should there be any trouble, I will return." He said, not paying attention to who was listening.

The heads of the agents bobbed up and down as a line nodded and Thor threw Mijolnir upwards and lifted into the sky, an almost indiscernible explosion of air blotted the sky as the god broke the sound barrier and head east.

Loki observed his brother leave then returned to his work, throwing out more threads of magic, guiding and shaping them to destroy the debris of his half-hearted war.

OOO

After an hour of clearing debris Loki was escorted to a series of semi collapsed buildings that lay strewn across several streets. He winced silently at the task, placing a hand on his mid-section out of tiredness and habit. Phil walked a few paces ahead of him and none of the other agents paid him any attention. Loki took a deep breath and straightened himself.

"Right, we need all this cleared out for construction vehicles to get in and assess the structural damage." Phil called out, vaguely pointing to the rubble.

An agent shot Loki a sideways dirty look, and Loki rolled his eyes.

"I can do better than that."

Phil turned to meet one of Loki's smirks and stepped aside as the god walked up beside him.

"Would you like to see a magic trick?"

"Go on then. Thrill me."

Loki turned once more to face the debris then lifted his hands. His fingers splayed out, skin stretched bone white as Loki sent invisible threads of magic out into the atmosphere. Tendrils searched out, but instead of destroying the cement, the magic glided over it. He guided it towards the building, learning the intricate workings of the remains of the Midgardian architecture, the weak spots and strengths of the structure and where everything belonged. His eyes fluttered shut as he took in the knowledge of the materials around him, their past, present, future, seeing where everything slipped into place. With a rush he clenched his fists then splayed them once more, his eyes opened but narrowed as dust and concrete lifted into the air, a hurricane of construction as the building reformed itself. Loki took moisture from the clouds above them to secure the cement in its familiar shape and after all but a few minutes a skyscraper stood once again before them.

Loki's arms dropped to his sides and he let out a puff of breath.

"Of course, you might want to refurbish the place. And get new windows."

Phil looked between the building and the god, obviously impressed but trying to hide it. The agents gathered behind them weren't doing a better job themselves.

"I guess that's easier that rebuilding half the city. Can you do that again?"

"Of course."

Phil watched Loki as he strode passed him and set to work on the next building with similar results. He smiled, crossed his arms, then turned back to the agents.

"Get me a line to Director Fury. He'll want to see this."

OOO

Another hour passed, maybe two and Loki sat down in the back of a black, nondescript pickup truck. He held a plastic cup in his hands and lifted it to his mouth, draining the ice water with ease. He was tired; shaking on a level so fundamental none of the mortals around his could witness it. He threw up layers of glamour between him and them. The less they saw the better. Another layer, one that silently persuaded the mortals to ignore him. It was a spell more effective with the weak minded as Loki couldn't shake the stare of Coulson who stood opposite but a makeshift table laden with pastries from a take away restaurant from the mainland. Loki licked his lips in hunger, then berated his stomach for the loud noise it make in protest as a result of his exhaustion.

A scream tore out, a sound chilling and hauntingly nearby. Not needing to think Loki moved, his hands shifted and before the agents could react he had slipped through the fabric of time and place seamlessly and reappeared in a car park empty except for a solitary sedan and two figures, one pressing the other up against a wall, the flash of a knife blade at their throat.

Car keys and a wallet littered the floor, a few loose coins white pools of light in the dark.

Loki moved, his footsteps almost synchronised with the struggling figure, a woman he realised as he came that much closer.

He reached out and grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck, his unfathomable strength lifting the man off the ground so his legs dangled like that of a rag doll. Smoothly, he turned, throwing the man to the ground, hitting the hard concrete with such force it almost cracked, a dull rumble as he skidded into a parking bay.

"What the fuck?" the man shouted, climbing hastily to his feet. Loki loomed over the man, easily clearing six foot, his stance menacing and his stare like death.

"Get out."

"The fuck!"

Loki stared into the man's eyes, holding him with such raw power the cosmos seemed to glisten and twirl in the depths of his irises, rooting the man to the stop. His hypnotic stared forced the man to feel the girl's fear, to feel her pain and the pain of all his other victims, searing through his brain like every nerve ending coming alive with hellfire. He couldn't scream, Loki gave a grim smile, he made sure the man was paralysed as his sins ignited so deep within him he would never be able to word a prayer for forgiveness. Emerald green burned in a way fire never could, then Loki dropped his gaze and the man fell back to the concrete , deflated and gasping, eyes wide and adrenaline racing.

"Leave now, while you still have breath in your lungs."

The man scrambled to his feet, palms grazing in specks of dirt and grit, boots hitting the ground hard as he sprinted off between the darkness and yellow pools of streetlight.

Loki turned back to the girl, who was crumpled against the wall, head tilted back, her lips parted as she drew in long, heavy breaths.

She looked up at the towering man stood over her, decked out in otherworldly armour that wrapped around his body perfectly in hues of silvery gold, accented but striking emerald green. His noble features were elegantly composed, piercing eyes that focused all their energy on her. She couldn't help the strangled gasp that escaped her, she unconsciously put it down to shock. Loki bent down, reached out to her, with steady, long fingers.

"You saved me." She breathed, unable to take her eyes off him.

"What?" his voice sounded broken, like a skipped record. The look of pure surprise seemed so out of place.

"You saved my life." She repeated, finally dragging her eyes away from him, feeling the heat of embarrassment rise up her throat and flood out over her cheeks.

"I'm not a hero." Loki whispered to no one in particular, the girl didn't hear, too caught up in the temperature of awkwardness. A beat passed, and Loki swallowed an uncertain breath to stop himself from saying words he didn't quite understand.

"You're bleeding."

Strange, he had seen the knife, the silver edge pressed against her throat, the small blade, one similar to his own choice of weapon, had made him blood turn to liquid fire in his veins, but only now he paused to realise the consequences it had brought.

He leant in closer to her and extended his arm, long, pale fingers surprisingly steady as he felt the warmth of blood, red filling the spaces between the valleys and crevices of his fingertips. "Does it hurt?"

The girl was looking at him; there was something in her eyes Loki was unsure of. He thought of drawing his hand back but he became acutely aware of pulse throbbing beneath his touch, noticeably becoming even as her heartbeat ceased to race.

"It might once I've gotten over the shock." She tried a smile and, uneasy as it was, Loki smiled in return, the redness in her cheeks tugging at the corners of his lips.

"What's your name?"

"Rose." She took in the armour, fighting the urge to reach out and touch it. "And you are?"

Loki swallowed again, easier this time round and parted his lips to answer her as Tony Stark dropped in, gleaming in his Iron Man armour. His head snapped up to Loki, who glared at him for a moment before rolling his eyes. He turned back to the girl who was gripping onto his forearm whilst staring at Stark.

"It would appear we have company." He said, fixated on Rose's hand clutching onto him.

"Loki, you realise you have agents watching you for a reason." Stark started walking towards Loki, not yet having caught sight of Rose beside him. "Whatever you're up to here has to stop."

Natasha and Clint raced over the tarmac behind Tony, Natasha holding onto a pistol while Clint had a white knuckle grip on his bow.

"This woman was attacked," Loki said, shifting to a more accommodating pose for his explanation. "I came to help, seeing as you heroes were otherwise occupied."

Loki smirked at Stark as he clocked sights on Rose, taking in her grazed palms and cut neck. He took particular notice of her hand on Loki.

The god saw this and his smirk widened to impossible lengths.

"Wait, heroes? As in _The Avengers_?" Rose's eyes were headlight wide and she fell back slightly against the wall. "Shitting hell."

Rogers, Banner and Thor arrived on the scene at the same time as two SUV's full of agents, including Coulson who was animatedly talking into a walkie talkie. Loki faced Rose again who still hadn't relented her grip on his arm, if anything she had tightened her hold.

"What's going on?" she asked. For once, Loki did not pity the fear he saw. Reflected in the girl's eyes he saw himself and somehow he saw himself as she saw him, as something more. As something he was not, or had not become.

"I'm getting you out of here. I'll make sure you're safe." There was a softness in his voice that had been absent for what felt like a millennia and before Rose had time to respond the god had swept her up in his arms and cradled her against his chest. The gathered audience watched in awe as Loki strode through the crowd headed towards Coulson who stood just as baffled as the others.

"This woman needs medical attention. Get your transport here now so she can be taken care of."

"I don't think -"

"Now, agent." A fierceness burned in his voice and the green depths of his irises, and Coulson lifted up his walkie talkie to order in a quinjet. Thor made to approach his brother but caught himself , an odd sensation similar to pride blossoming in his chest.

OOO

Loki stayed with Rose on their journey from the quinjet to the nearest Helicarrier a few miles out above the North Atlantic Ocean and insisted she be taken straight to the medical bay. He stayed with her as medics treated her for shock and cleaned her injuries. It was only until Fury himself came to collect Loki for debriefing did he finally leave, a permanent scowl etched upon his face.

"I don't like it, not one bit," Tony said, voicing his opinion for the fifth time that night despite the fact no one wanted to hear it. "It seems way too convenient for Loki to become the knight in shining armour. I am the only one who sees something wrong with this picture?"

"Be careful how you speak Stark. Loki is my brother and I will not have you say anything against his actions tonight."

"I'm with Thor on this one," Banner interjected, earning a scowl from Tony. "He did a good thing. A heroic thing. He stopped that girl from getting hurt without killing anyone. Surely improvement is a good thing."

"But he let the perpetrator get away." Steve sat up straight. "While I agree killing him was not condonable, the man should have been brought to justice – not allowed to run off."

"Fury's has scouts looking for this guy. He'll turn up sooner or later." Natasha said, moving her hand from her mouth to speak before resuming her pose to chew on her nails.

Thor paced the length of the table, Clint watched him with a bored look.

"You mortals are so indecisive. You fight my brother when he is our enemy, continue to penalise him when he carries out his punishment without compliant, then when he saves a life you still condemn him as a villain." The Asgardian's gaze swept over the group disapprovingly until Fury interrupted, followed by a sulking Loki who this time chose to seat himself at the table, opting for a chair opposite Fury and next to his brother's usual place.

"Gentlemen," Fury turned to Natasha and Hill. "Ladies." His solitary eye perused the group before him as he sighed and folded his arms. "Can we count tonight as a success?"

"Tasha and I found some evidence of the remaining Chitauri with Stark." Barton said, resting his forearms on the glass table top. Some foot prints, discarded armour. Nothing much to go on but at least it's something."

"Good work agent. Stark anything to add? You usually do."

"No, as a matter of fact, I think Clint's wrapped it up quite nicely." Tony gave Fury an unimpressed look, then winked at Hawkeye.

"Agent Romanoff?"

"I think we should increase the patrols on the island in case this becomes a serious threat. But other than that, I've got nothing to add."

"Cap?" Fury turned his attention to Steve who had changed out of his suit to loose fitting jeans and T shirt. A watch ticked at his wrist, he fingered the leather strap as he waited his turn.

"We found similar evidence in the subway systems but no sign of the aliens." He turned to Bruce. "But we think the tunnels would be an optimum place for them to be hiding."

"What gives you that impression?"

"From what Thor said last year when we first faced this threat." Bruce shifted in his chair, still uncomfortable with everyone's attention being directed on him. His unease made Loki smirk but he dismissed it quickly when Banner a glance in his direction. "That they're not of any world. So we guessed they're good at adapting to harsh environments, like the dark. So we guessed they'd exploit the subway of even the sewers. But like Natasha says, we need more patrols to cement the possibility."

"Thank you doctor, Captain."

Fury looked up the table to Loki.

The god was feigning interest in the hive of activity in the lower level of the work stations with grey uniformed personnel tapping away at key boards and flicking switches.

"How are we getting on with clearing the debris?"

Loki sighed and drew his attention to the table. Stark was pointedly ignoring the debriefing, playing on the ridiculously thin smartphone he had devised, Banner seemed uncomfortable in the presence of so many people, while the SHIELD agents focused their attention on the two gods.

"I expect I'll have completed your task by tomorrow. Then I can assist with the reconstruction work should you still desire my cooperation as I have done tonight."

Thor smiled, as though Loki's word proved his earlier point. Steve made a noise as though Loki's sincerity was too good to be true and Coulson said something discreetly to Hill.

"Good. And what about the rest of tonight's events?"

"What about them?"

"Well, to begin with you broke protocol, going off by yourself. You were instructed to stay onsite with the unit of agents who were specifically there to -"

"To do what? Stop me should I feel the compulsion to misbehave?" Loki interrupted, that sly smile back on his features. "I think you underestimate the skills of your miniature army."

"Because yours was so overwhelming." Tony commented, not lifting his head from his phone screen.

"Stark don't make me ask you to leave." Fury scolded, like a parent with a trouble making child.

"Is there something I'm missing here?" Loki said, leaning forward, hands splayed the table, his palms hovering above the glass. "Are you truly berating me for my actions? I failed to notice any of my designated escorts going off to help the girl. Or any of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. All too busy chasing ghosts."

"Not ghosts, but clearing up the mess you made." Steve interjected. Loki eyed Steve's hands balling into fists beneath the table.

"Someone had to do something. Seems sad, it should have been left to me." He grinned at Steve, the veins and muscles in his arms becoming prominent as his fists tightened.

"You still broke protocol. While I understand you are here to help others, some of them are yet to accept that fact, and you breaking the rules sets people unnecessarily on edge."

"I've been here for three months. This is the first rule I've broken. Are mortals that untrusting?" As he asked his question Loki turned to Thor. His muscular arms were crossed over his chest, still unimpressed with his team members and tired of their harassment of his brother.

"Whether you care to admit it or not, Loki is right."

"Thor, we get you two are brothers and that's a deep bond, but you have to understand from an outside perspective, from our perspective, trust can't always be regained that easily." Bruce tried to be convincing with his tone but all he could think of was his sudden realisation that he and Loki were a lot more alike than he had thought.

"Persecute me for my crimes, I have admitted to them and have acknowledged my wrongs," Loki said, standing up. "I have endured the punishment the All Father saw fit, I have offered my services here on Earth. If my actions or repentance seems unsatisfactory then I shall return to Asgard so you will not have to concern yourselves with me any further. But action was needed tonight, and I could not stand and do nothing. Surely you _heroes_ understand."

Teeth were gritted against his condescending tone and Fury moved to stop Loki from leaving.

"Where are you going?" he asked indignantly.

"To see if a girl assaulted not by an alien or a god, but a domestic, mortal enemy had recovered enough so I might be able to answer her question and tell her my name."

With that Loki turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, the length of his cape sweeping the edges of the door like cigarette smoke dissipating into nothing.

OOO

Loki paused by the entrance to the medical unit. He could see medics in white uniform that still bore the SHIELD symbol over the left breast, moving carefully. There were few patients in the bay, one or two beds had the curtains pulled around them for privacy. The stark whiteness of hygiene reminded him of the healers in Asgard and the lofty Healing Rooms he had visited numerous times both in his youth and after countless battles. He stepped back from the door, the room disappearing from view as he moved a hand over his chest and the armour fell away, not hitting the floor but slipping between the fabric of matter and into a sort of in-between place that belonged to nothing in particular – a familiar empty space Loki often used to store belongings or things that needed to be secret. He was left in his leather attire, slightly more casual than the ceremonial armour he and Thor donned for their visits to Midgard. He brushed a hand through his hair and walked through the door, content he looked a little more presentable for the mortal woman he sought out.

He could have cast invisibility around himself had he wished but the medics paid him no mind since he was distinctly absent of any injury or illness. He walked purposefully to the last bed on the right and stood at the foot of the bed to look over the figure laid upon it.

Rose's eyes opened lazily as she seemed inherently aware of Loki's presence.

"Hi again."

"Hello." Loki's voice was quiet. "Are you feeling better?"

"They gave me some painkillers. I got more scratched up than I realised." She lifted her hands to reveal thin bandages wrapped around her hands. The bandages extended halfway down her left forearm. She looked deathly pale set against so much white. The movement of lifting her hands brought Loki's attention to the IV in the back of her hand.

"What's that?"

"Something for the pain. Or something to make me sleep. Can't remember now." Loki took a step closer to her, coming around the side of the bed.

"I wanted to make sure you were safe. I've not often been a man of my word. At least in a conventional sense."

She smiled, although Loki thought it impossible for her to understand the implications of his joke.

"I won't be able to keep my eyes opened for much longer," she stifled a yawn as if to reinforce her point. "You wanted to tell me something?"

"Yes."

Another step closer.

He considered kneeling down to be at her level or sitting on the edge of the bed. He remained standing, clasping his hands nervously together, behind his back so she couldn't see.

"My name. you asked me my name. Loki. Loki Odinson."

He searched her face, suddenly desperate to find something. Her eyelids fluttered and a light smile toyed at the corners of her mouth.

"Loki," she said sleepily. She turned her face towards him, nestling deeper into the pillow. Her eyelids dropped and Loki envied the peace that blossomed across her face. "It'sa nice name."

Her speech was mumbled by the drug and as she slipped into the unconscious realm of dreams. Loki smiled, reached out and lightly touched the back of her hand, not wanting to hold it for fear of causing her pain.

OOO

_Please review!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Gah, so sorry it's taken so long to get this up – been really busy with work._

_But without further ado, here's chapter 3. Hope you enjoy._

_Everything belongs to Marvel except for my OC._

_Let me know what you think._

OOO

Chapter 3

Curiosity

Tony stalked down a corridor, tapping his fingers against the back of his smartphone with one hand, his other hand wiping over his face. He was tired, missed Pepper, and was fed up with SHIELD antics – calling him at all hours. The whole point of the Avengers disbanding was that they were no longer a team. Apparently Fury hadn't got the memo on that one. It was a joke. Bringing them together every time Thor brought his brat of a brother to Earth to tidy up his mess. Which was taking forever.

Tony turned a corner and passed two agents walking in the opposite direction. God, they all looked like clones. He slipped his phone into his pocket and picked up his pace. Which was enough of a distraction for him to walk straight into the gorgeous redhead who had been on his mind so much.

"Pepper!"

"Tony!" They both bent down to pick up the papers she had dropped as a result of their collision.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, yeah, hi Tony. Nice to see you too. Oh I'm fine thanks, thanks for asking. And yourself?"

"Come on Pep, course I'm glad to see you." He handed her a pile of papers she slipped into her Italian leather organiser. This time she zipped up the folder. "It's just this is a bit unexpected."

He leant in and gave her a quick kiss. She blushed slightly, and tucked a red curl behind her ear. She smelt of that designer perfume he'd bought her for Christmas and that necklace he'd bought her for Valentines sparkled low around her throat. Little memories she decorated herself with. He felt excessively pleased she made such an effort to keep little pieces of him with her. He didn't have the heart to tell her the watch she'd bought him was utterly hideous and clashed with nearly all of his cuff links.

"Fury had my plane diverted to New York then I got picked up by Natasha and she brought me here. Said there was something important you'd be working on and you'd need me to discuss possible repercussions with the company."

"So you're not here because you missed me?"

"Tony," Pepper smiled, her serious business face disappearing more with each passing second.

"Stark, Miss Potts."

Tony groaned, rolling his eyes back into his head as he turned to see Fury briskly walking towards them. Tony had no idea what Pepper was on about, probably due to the fact he'd almost sprinted from the meeting room after Loki had sulked off. There was no point in hiding the fact he was bored by these meetings. What little excitement the evening had produced had been cut short. He sighed and stood back as Fury and Pepper shook hands.

"Good to see you Miss Potts. I hope you had a pleasant flight."

"Yeah, everything was fine. You said you wanted me here to talk to Tony."

"Yeah. Just after I've finished talking to him myself."

Fury turned to Tony. The two sets of dark eyes regarded one another for a heightened moment.

"What is this about Fury? It's ridiculous o'clock and I want my bed. Let me tell you not many people stand between me and my bed."

"Then I won't keep you long. Miss Potts," Fury turned to Pepper briefly. "Always good to see you." Then back to Tony who was stifling a yawn. "Stark, with me."

He continued down the corridor, not checking to see if Tony was following him. Pepper sighed and drew her eyes back to Tony after watching Fury walk off.

"I guess I'll see you later then."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Try not to take too long."

"I'll do my best." Tony gave Pepper another kiss, short but sweet before setting off hot on Fury's tail.

OOO

Jane Foster woke up early most mornings. Partly due to unhealthy habits as an astrophysicist, getting up at painful hours to chart stars and watch spectacular celestial phenomena from the roof of her building in New Mexico or out in the desert from the comfort of her van. A love hate relationship with double strength coffee had threatened to turn her nocturnal but the recent presence of a certain God of Thunder had meant her life had become slightly more stable, at least in terms of work hours. Even so, she woke up with the clock flashing 4:39 in red digits almost of her own accord. She turned in bed to find the other side empty, and bolted upright.

Thor started in the chair across the room, even in the low light of the darkened room Jane could see his eyes widen in alarm.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No, I just," Jane flopped back onto the mattress, eyes glued on her immortal boyfriend. "I panicked about where you were."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep."

"I'm guessing it's got something to do with Loki. You know, the great thing about having a girlfriend is you've got someone to talk to who'll actually listen." Jane offered Thor a smile but it did little to ease him of his troubles.

"I know. And I will tell you Jane, once my mind has slowed down enough for me to string together suitable sentences."

Jane smiled and climbed off the bed and onto Thor's lap. His large, warm arms wrapped round her and she kissed his cheek.

"Is it something to do with the girl?"

"Not entirely." Thor sighed and leant back in the chair, Jane following suit to lean against his chest. "I just grow tired Jane, of the others. Of their attitude towards my brother. He is not a bad person. He is not what they think he is."

"I know it's hard," Jane soothed. She ran a hand through Thor's blonde hair and smiled. She had grown to know Loki herself not just from meeting him in person but from the stories Thor had told her of his childhood. Even she, who had witnessed the devastation wreaked by the Destroyer in Puente Antiguo, had come around after heard some of Thor's stories to understand Loki wasn't, at least, entirely evil with a capital E. Particularly after learning about the events that had brought Thor to Earth in the first place. "They'll come round in time. They just don't know him like you do."

"Time," Thor breathed. "How much time do they need?"

"It was never going to be easy, especially after last year." Jane trailed off, unsure of how to sugar coat Loki's attempt to subjugate the Earth.

"Agreed." Thor sighed again, and then stood up abruptly, lifting Jane up in his arms. She squeaked in surprise and giggled as he carried her over to the bed. "And there is little point in mulling it over now."

"I'm too awake to go back to sleep," Jane said, disguising a yawn poorly.

"In which case, we shall have to find something to occupy ourselves with." Thor grinned and kissed her as she lost her fingers in his hair, pulling him close as they fell down onto the still warm sheets.

Jane giggled as Thor kissed at her neck playfully, as he mirrored tangling his hands up in her hair.

In truth she had not really given much thought to the actual possibility they would end up like this after their adventure so many months ago now. Jane had known she wasn't in love with Thor, or at least hadn't fallen in love with him over three days. Before she had met Thor she would have laughed at the idea of falling in love with someone after three days.

Something as powerful as love didn't just happen overnight. And Thor, first and foremost was her friend.

That was the position they had both assumed once Thor had returned to Earth while Loki carried out his punishment on Asgard. Thor had officially been Asgard's Ambassador for the last six months, and Jane supposed they had been 'together' for the last five. It was an odd sort of romance, one that had blossomed from late nights in the lab, over endless cups of coffee and deep conversations about nothing in particular. The clichéd kind of romance you'd find in paperback novels. She didn't like to put a label on her personal life, there were far too many labels flying around in her immediate vicinity. But even so, there was a kind of thrill, albeit slightly cheap, of having Thor dote on her though, having him hold her and kiss her and she couldn't help but feel smug that she could hang on the arm of an actual god.

His lips on her skin brought her out from her thoughts and she sighed against the side of his head.

"Was this not what you had in mind?" he asked, pulling back and propping himself up on one arm.

"It's not that."

Jane shifted to face him better. The dim electrical light that illuminated the skirting board gave everything a strange bleached glow. Thor's usually blue eyes were dark, heavy with thoughts.

"Are you happy Thor? Like this? With me?"

"Of course I am. How could I not be?" he leant forward and kissed her forehead. "And here I was, thinking I was the only one troubled by my thoughts."

"About Loki? And this girl?" Jane guessed.

"And now you." He paused, brushing her dark hair behind her ear. There was a light line of trouble between Thor's eyebrows as he searched her face. "Are you happy Jane?"

"Yes." She shifted once more, closer to him and kissed his mouth. His beard scratched her cheek but she didn't mind. His hand went to her waist, gliding underneath her shirt and over her skin. She easily took control with any tiredness disappointing from her body, rolling the god onto his back and straddling his hips. "Let me show you exactly how happy you make me."

OOO

In one of several labs on the Helicarrier Tony Stark was far too busy checking out the new equipment to pay attention to the lab coats trying to give him a crash course in Biology 101. He could have been offended by their assumptions of his lack of knowledge in the area but he was too fascinated by an array of high tech surgical tools set out in a pristine steel tray, arranged by someone who probably suffered from OCD.

"Stark, this is important. Pay attention." Fury used his authorative voice and once again got no response from Tony. Or, after a long minute, no desired response.

"Nick, I'm tired. I thought we were supposed to be hurrying this up."

The lab coats stood there silent now, which oddly drew Tony's attention to them. He studied them, not extensively, stifled yet another yawn, then his attention was caught by something else.

"What's under the sheet?"

Fury turned to the side and followed Tony's line of sight.

"That," he said, turning back. "Is what we're here for. Boys."

He lifted a hand, gesturing for the scientists to sate Tony's curiosity. They stumbled slightly, Tony's eyebrows narrowed as he took in their shared nervousness. The scientists took their place one the far side of the table that Tony quickly assessed as an autopsy table. A worryingly high tech autopsy table, but he had seen enough sci fi films to guess what was going to happen next.

The sheet lifted and the body of a Chitauri came into view. Tony took a step back, bile catching up in his throat. The body, without saying really, had been subject to an autopsy, and the typical V of stitches stood out on its chest. The body wasn't in the best of conditions either; the faint whiff of formaldehyde tinged the air, a ghostly scent of decay.

"That is disgusting." Tony blurted, not able to help himself. As like with all things repulsive, it drew him nearer, strangely mesmerised by the dead alien.

"Note the combination of its biology with technology," Fury said coming to stand beside Tony. There were several minutes of quiet as Tony's experienced eyes took in the alien form, the strange new technology intertwined with grey flesh. "Think you can replicate it?"

"What?" Tony stood up from his studious pose, as though a bolt of electricity had been shot through him, rooting him to the spot. "You want me to what?"

"Like I said earlier Stark, we have a right to know our enemy. This technology is a kind of armour, some kind of weapon. Just as the Council wanted to use the Cube to build weapons, they believe we could use the Chitauri to engineer a new breed of soldiers."

"While I prefer hardware being less, shall we say messy, I think this is a little out of my league."

"I'm asking you to help us with this because you're one of the best minds of our time. You are the logical choice in continuing with this research."

"Yeah, because everything about this just screams logic."

"Stark," Fury almost warned.

"Does Banner know about this? Jesus, does Thor know about this? Great, let's piss off the God of Thunder. I hope holding grudges isn't a hereditary trait."

"Seeing as they're adoptive brothers, it's highly unlikely."

"What does Banner know about this? I bet he's not pleased, I can say that much."

"Banner doesn't know anything yet. None of the others do. We decided it would be best to talk to you about this first. After all, you're the genius."

Tony made a scoffing noise, undeniably flattered. His narcissism suddenly didn't seem like such a disadvantage, Fury thought.

He threw Tony a sideways glance and smiled. He had intrigued the man's curiosity enough to know Tony was on board. He just needed to be a little dramatic about announcing it. Fury glanced over at the two scientists who were sharing uncomfortable looks. It so far seemed to be the standard reaction to this line of work. He was yet to come across an agent who could maintain normality around the bodies in the SHIELD freezer.

"So what do you say? Are you in or are you out?"

"Give me time to think it over." Tony stuffed his hands into his pockets while he pivoted on his heel. "I need to discuss the possible repercussions of this with my CEO. Because my company is just dying to supply the overwhelming need of freaky alien technology around in today's market."

OOO

Loki stared at the girl in the bed.

Rose.

She said her name was Rose.

How peaceful she looked, lying there. He took note of her bandages, injuries she had seemed amused by. She had spoken of being in shock and Loki allowed his mind the briefly wonder about how long this shock might last. Could it be cured as easily as grazed palms, or did it require something more intricate, like the remedy for a broken heart?

Still, she was peaceful, and Loki chewed on the inside of his cheek with envy for it. Her eyes moved in her sleep and he wondered what dreams she was living.

Loki sighed and slipped back further in his chair.

He had not slept for weeks. For months. Initially, he had not worried too much about this peculiarity in his behaviour. In his youth he had often gone days without sleep with no negative consequences to his health. But given his punishment from Odin for his crimes against Midgard his health was of dire concern of late. He had not fully healed, despite his outward appearance, and he was yet to regain his full strength. But he had not slept for weeks, months, because of the fear bred by the darkness closed eyes could bring. To be tormented so by nightmares.

Literal nightmares.

Not just frightening, twisting shadows in the dark of the subconscious but a mixture of memories and overactive imagination that threatened to drive him insane. So far his only sanctuary had been to avoid sleeping altogether.

But he grew tired.

Grew weary.

Grew restless.

He envied the ease of the sleep Rose was currently enjoying. How, through sleep, she was freed. In Loki's case, to fall asleep was to become a prisoner. He was tired of being the victim.

He had not considered death being a real possibility of his insomnia until recently. Could gods die without dreaming? It was a consequence he feared. He had begun some research but the archives of Asgard were limited. Too many accounts scribed by pot-bellied historians perverting scrolls and ledgers into telling tales that served their own purposes instead of the detailing truth.

Ah, the truth.

The punch line for the God of Lies.

People always managed to underestimate the power of truth that went hand in hand with lies. Without the truth there could be no lies. And without lies there could be no truth. An equilibrium Loki sought to thrive on. Two polar opposites that were destined to coexist. Like black and white.

Moon and sun.

No one without the other.

And how tired Loki was of going without. Of barely surviving. Short lived as it may have been, he was once a _king_.

A king of _gods_.

And now he feared death at the hands of no longer dreaming. He was too pride to seek help from the Healers of Asgard. He was too despised in the great city to go out to collect ingredients to concoct a potion himself. He could always send Thor but his brother worried and was not as idiotic as he used to be. He would piece together what was happening and Loki would never hear the end of it. His mother would find out and worry. His father would find out and be further disappointed in him. Loki could not bear that.

He looked over Rose's sleeping form once more, biting his lower lip slightly in that same envy. He was so tired. He stood up and bent over her, kissing her forehead. He didn't know why he had done it; he froze halfway between standing up and planting another soft kiss on the girl.

They had given her something for the pain. While Loki filled with envy once more, to the point of brimming over, he could only hope it worked.

OOO

_Please review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_So here's chapter 4 for my avid readers._

_Everything belongs to Marvel except for my OC._

_Hope you guys enjoy!_

OOO

Chapter 4

Conditions

When Rose woke up she regretted the choice immediately.

On the verge of consciousness and dreaming she had hoped that she had been doing just that – dreaming, and she would wake up in her own bed in her crappy apartment with her alarm about to go off any second for her to go to work. Unfortunately, as she cracked one eye open, an overly loud groan escaped her.

No terrible damask wallpaper coming into her line of vision.

No haphazard clutter of clothes on her bedroom floor, strewn all over the place from the journey between the door and climbing into bed. Instead, her eyes were practically assaulted by the stark whiteness that seemed to blind her of the medical bay of the Helicarrier.

Yeah, Helicarrier. That's what they called it. Sounded like something straight out of a comic book.

And as if waking up wasn't bad enough, the remaining drugs in her system made her movements sluggish. Her hollow stomach churned and dredges of morphine laced through her veins like road blocked rush hour traffic.

Or maybe it was the shock wearing off.

Rose groaned again, flipping the sheet to the side and swinging her legs over the bed. She steadied herself by wiggling her toes, pointedly ignoring the petal blue bruises that had flowered overnight on her knees.

As she tried to get to a bathroom two nurses shooed her back into bed and tried to persuade her to use a bed pan. Once Rose had turned a frightening shade of red from embarrassment they eventually lead her to a private room where she could have a quick wash in the sink of the adjoined bathroom and get changed into fresh clothes. Her trousers had been washed but her top had been replaced with a nondescript grey shirt that bore the SHIELD insignia. She dressed herself and sat plucking at the material on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs with her ankles crossed until another nurse arrived at the door, closely followed by a black clad agent.

"Are you feeling any better this morning?" the nurse asked politely. Rose shrugged in reply, not wanting to be rude but in all honesty, she didn't know how she was feeling. Hunger and tiredness wasn't a good combination at any time. Throw the morning after an assault into the mix and the outcome just got worse.

"I'm fine, I guess. Hungry." She eventually mumbled. Rose caught the eye of the agent behind the nurse who was faffing around with typical medical equipment for blood pressure, temperature and the like. The agent glanced in the nurse's direction a little too hastily and a little too conspicuously and Rose wondered if SHIELD took in CIA rejects.

"I'm just going to run a few tests to make sure we didn't miss anything from last night." The nurse threw Rose a comforting look which she in turn responded accordingly. She didn't like hospitals, and had good reason to, so she remained silent and let the woman do her job.

The rip of Velcro snapped Rose from her daydream of emerald eyes.

"That cut on your neck looks painful."

Rose lifted an absentminded hand to her throat, feeling along the shallow wound inflicted by the switchblade from the night before. The nurse was setting aside the equipment after completing the tests. Rose had somehow managed to zone out, which increased the agent's scrutinising gaze on her as she took in the flush of blood racing down her arm from the band being removed.

"No, it's ok."

"The skin around it looks inflamed. Did someone see to it when you came in? I'll get some antiseptic and a bandage. We don't want it to get infected now, do we?"

The nurse turned on her heel without giving Rose a chance to speak. The agent stepped aside to let the nurse pass him, his jack booted footsteps heavy and echoing.

"So are you here to babysit me, or what?" Rose asked, forcing her hand into her lap rather than at her neck. She could still feel the hotness of the skin beneath her fingertips. Maybe the drugs had some part of her brain still sedated. Everything felt fuzzy around the edges, like a lens peering through steam.

"I'm here to take you to your debriefing once you've been cleared by the medical team."

"Team? Debriefing? Wow. How come I'm getting so much attention?"

"You're not."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "You jealous?"

"No. Standard protocol is'all."

The agent went silent. Rose looked at him, trying to decipher a name from his uniform somewhere but the man remained as anonymous as his nondescript black attire. In another setting he could be a security guard or a Black Ops soldier or a seriously intense personal trainer.

The nurse came back carrying a small metal tray filled with miniature bottles that reminded Rose of the mini shampoos and body lotions you'd find in a hotel suite. It took a number of seconds for the nurse to clean Rose's neck with a wipe that made her ultra-sensitive to every pulse that coursed up and down her veins and air prickle against her skin. Then a thin layer of gauze was a little too roughly applied before a rectangular band aid secured it in place.

"Thanks," Rose said thickly as the nurse stepped back to admire her handiwork. Having someone else's hands round her neck had brought on cold shivers of claustrophobia Rose was able to shake off after the nurse turned her back.

"She's fine now." The nurse addressed the agent who abruptly shifted from leaning in the door frame to standing straight. Rose sniggered and turned her head, hair falling across her face to hide her laugh.

"She just needs a good meal and a few days' rest. You lot had better not be planning to get her all worked up in there. After events such as these," Rose looked up to see the nurse vaguely waving her hands. "Many people become extremely fragile. So no unnecessary stress."

She pointed an accusing at the agent's chest before collecting the utensils, flashing Rose a polite smile and departing the small room.

"Are we off?" Rose asked, picking at a fraying edge of a bandage at her wrist.

The agent grunted in reply, giving her a quick nod as he turned and walked back down the corridor in the way he had come.

Her stomach grumbled in protest and she had to take baby steps to stop her dizzied head from spinning before Rose set off in the footsteps of the agent on a labyrinth tour of the floor until he opened a door for her. He stepped aside, gesturing Rose into a room with a high window that reminded her of a prison cell, and a tall black man standing beside one of two chairs that sat opposite one another with a small metal table in between.

"Miss Walker. My name is Nick Fury. We need to debrief you on what happened last night. Please, take a seat." Fury gestured to the seat the other side of the table for Rose to sit down. She followed his suggestion, internally wincing at the sound of the metal chair legs grating against the floor.

"Ok. Hit me."

Fury raised an eyebrow then sat down himself, placing a file on the table between them. The pile of neatly organised papers sparked up Rose's interest and she gave Fury a sly look and a humoured grin.

"I have a file?"

"Yes."

"Well that was quick. Is there anything embarrassing in it?"

"You tell me."

Rose reached out for the file and turned it round, opening the front page and flicking through the pages. "Oh god," she murmured, coming to a photo attached via paperclip about a third of the way through the file. "How embarrassing."

She looked up, a half grin on her face. "Michael Levi. Senior Prom. I'd rather that had stayed buried."

"If that's the only thing you didn't want us finding out about you, I imagine it's safe to say you're clean." Fury said, folding his hands on the table in front of him, his face set in amusement.

Rose, however, was no longer amused. Her stomach growled and her hands her itchy.

"You seem awfully calm about this. That tells me one of two things. That you're psychopathic, or still in shock."

"How about unsurprised? So you know who I am. Guess I'd have to be worried if a security company couldn't do its job." Impatience had her scratching at the corner of the band aid on her neck.

Fury made an unimpressed noised.

"Look, what is this even about? I hadn't heard of SHIELD until last year's debacles in New York. And I don't understand why a security company would be so interested in me."

"The events that took place last night, as distressing as they may be, need to be discussed so you can fully understand the ripples set in motion by you."

Rose paused, fingers interlaced.

"And in English that means?"

Fury grinned. "Do you have any idea of the identity of the people you met last night?"

"People who need to rethink their fashion sense."

"Funny." Neither his face nor his tone bore any semblance of his earlier humour.

"Look, I get attacked by some guy and another one saves me. I'm here because I thought I'd have a chance to say thank you to the man while I didn't have a shock blanket smothering me or a river of antiseptic running down my neck. Can I at least do that without you making me feel like I'm somehow implicated in the Kennedy assassination?"

Fury leant back in his chair, seemingly deflated by her sudden accusation. Ever the strategist, he opened his palms in a small act of compromise.

"We're not here to make you feel uncomfortable, but make you an offer."

"And what might that be?"

"The opportunity to work for us."

"Doing what?"

Fury closed her file and planted his once again interlaced hands on top, a seriousness on his face that made Rose's stomach tighten anxiously.

"Do you recognise this man?"

Fury placed a photograph on the table on top of the file. Rose picked it up, realising it was a mug shot. The photo seemed fresh, and something made Rose start.

"This is the guy who . . . from last night." She fumbled over her words, dropping the photo. Fury picked it up and Rose guessed he had done it sensing her unease. She had been right, now the initial shock had passed, fear raced through her, pumping like wildfire in the back of her chest. Fury's hands resumed their earlier position and something close to a look of comfort settled on his face.

"After Loki came across you last night it took exactly three hours before this man handed himself into a police station in New York, confessing not only to attacking you but to a string of other crimes as well. This man is going to be put away for a long time."

"What else did he do?" Rose asked without looking at Fury. He paused, unwilling to divulge the information. Not because of confidentiality but because of the look on the girl's face. She had turned white and tense. But maybe she needed to hear it.

"He's being charged on twelve cases of assault, five cases of theft, three cases of rape and one case of grand theft auto. Like I said, he's going to be put away for a long time."

"Well if you guys hadn't of shown up last night I guess he could have ticked off another set." Rose wiped her hand over her face and sat back in her chair. The seat was uncomfortable and that helped her direct her attention from the still nameless assailant. "So what did Loki do to him exactly?"

She met Fury's eyes and ignored the brief flash of concern.

She would be alright.

"At this point we're uncertain, but we think some kind of hypnosis."

"So you can get a file on my entire life in a matter of hours but you can't get the answer to one question from one of the guys on your _own team_?"

Fury's jaw tightened and he shifted in his seat.

"Since you called the events of last year concerning the Avengers _debacles_, I think I should clarify on what actually happened. Loki came to Earth from Asgard, a realm of god like beings in outer space. He wanted to subjugate humanity and proclaim himself king by unleashing an alien force called the Chitauri."

"Ok," Rose couldn't help a smile – Fury's serious tone contrasted with the absurdity of what he was saying was utterly hilarious. She managed to maintain composure through remembering if she full out laughed it could make her stomach growl uncontrollably and she was so hungry now she swore she could see stars.

"Ok, so now he's on your side, and doing what exactly?"

"This is supposed to be me debriefing you on future plans concerning you, not on what's happening with my team."

"You want me to work for you. I might as well know what I'm getting myself into since I doubt I'm gonna be seeing any job advertisements going in the newspaper anytime soon."

"Fine," Fury breathed, and Rose suspected she was one of few people alive to ever hear that tone of defeat.

"Loki offered to help clean up his mess."

"Aww, that's nice of him."

Fury raised an eyebrow.

"Last night he reconstructed several blocks of fallen buildings in the finical district after cleaning up damage that was too dangerous for us to clear. Then he recused you. Which brings us full circle to the whole debriefing that's meant to be going on here."

"And why is it I'm of such interest? You want me to tell you the story, fine. I'm currently working for a temp agency. For the last three months I've been the secretary to one of the on-site managers for a building contractor working on the clean-up side of things that wasn't too dangerous to for us fix by ourselves." By the look on Fury's face he wasn't impressed with her sarcasm but that didn't stop her. "I have security clearance to have been on the island, you can check. I was running some errands a bit too late and then that guy jumped me, trying to take my money or my car then decided he had something even better in mind."

The cynicism in her voice drew all the temperature out of the room and made Fury shift in his chair.

"Then Loki appears and saves me. And now here I am, telling you all this while I have this ridiculous thing on my neck. Can I take this off?"

She gestured to her neck and the band aid that smothered half of the front of her throat. Nick gave a curt nod and Rose began to peel it off, low bitten fingernails catching at the edges.

"This is why we would like to offer you this job."

"Doing what, exactly?"

"It would seem you have had quite an effect on Loki. We would like you to work with us on his rehabilitation and possible full integration onto the Avengers team."

"Don't you guys play fair or something?"

Fury laughed humourlessly, gripping onto the arms of his chair.

"Let's just say when big egos are but in the same room a fight is an inevitable outcome. Especially when majority of those egos are untrusting of Loki's simply being here."

"Sounds like you're dealing with a bunch of prima donnas. Let me give you a heads up, that's not a fantastic selling point for a working environment."

"Maybe not. But these are extraordinary circumstances. It goes without saying you should expect, well, the extraordinary."

"Sounds about right."

Rose leant back in her chair, twiddling with the band aid. The pads of her fingers were all sticky now but it was a good enough distraction from her itchy wrists.

"Do I get some time to consider this? I mean, this is a lot to take in. And I'm really hungry. Do you know how much that can affect your judgement and concentration?"

Fury laughed and collected the file off the table.

"How does twenty four hours sound to you?"

"Sounds great. Means I can get twenty three hours sleep before I have to give you an answer."

Fury raised an eyebrow once again but this time the humour had returned to his features. "I'll arrange for transport to take you home and have someone collect you tomorrow. Even if you say no, you'll have to sign a disclosure so we keep confidentiality on all of this."

"Whatever." Rose waved a dismissive hand that settled onto the table surface in an almost threatening manner. "There is one condition though, that I might as well give you a heads up on."

Fury paused, halfway through making it to the door. His hand hovered over the handle before he slipped it into the pocket of his black trousers, twisting on his heel to face the girl still seated.

She looked like a coffee addicted insomniac but that might have been due to the eventful twelve hours she had been subjected to. A fierceness lit up her eyes in a way that immediately reminded him of Natasha Romanoff.

"I want to be able to thank Loki for what he did. Properly. We wouldn't be having this conversation if it wasn't for him. I wouldn't be alive right now if it wasn't for him."

Fury regarded the girl and nodded. Rose smiled a victorious grin and plopped her hands down into her lap.

"So are you gonna call me a cab or something?"

"Not quite."

Fury's one eye filled with laughter before disappearing as he walked through the door.

Rose let the door close before she jumped up, teeth grating against the metal chair legs dragging across the floor. She tiptoed up to the window and gazed out over the impressive bird's eye view of the Manhattan in early light.

"Yup," Rose muttered, her breath fogging up the glass as vertigo overtook her. "Straight out of a comic book."

OOO

_Please review!_


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